Our Principals

Doug focuses his work on HB Lanarc's land and environmental planning, site development, and communications initiatives. His recent projects include the Vancouver Island Conference Centre and the Island Corridor Foundation—an innovative collaboration between local governments and First Nations communities.

Doug also works on the company's environmental planning initiatives and innovative decision-support tools. He holds a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Manitoba, a Diploma of Landscape Studies from Edinburgh University, and a Bachelor of Environmental Studies.

The BCLA recognized Doug for Exceptional Contribution to the BCSLA in 2008, for making his accrued knowledge and commitment accessible to others within the profession.

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Originally hailing from England, Rob moved to BC in 1995 and fell in love with this province, its people and incredible landscape. Building on an early interest in geography, Rob’s passion is to help communities identify and implement practical solutions to the challenges of sustainability. This passion drove him to gain a masters degree at UBC’s school of Community & Regional Planning and to become one of the first planners in Canada to obtain the LEED green building accreditation.

As co-founder & principal of HB Lanarc Consultants Rob has worked on numerous forward-looking projects in western Canada including the Sea to Sky University in Squamish, East Fraser Lands and Southeast False Creek in Vancouver. He recently completed OCPs in Colwood/Langford and Central Saanich and is working with the Town of Smithers on their OCP. Current projects include a plan for the Squamish oceanfront, developing a Climate Framework Plan for the District of North Vancouver and a rural development proposal on Denman Island that hopes to protect 1200 acres of ecological habitat.

When not working you might find him hurling flies at coho on the Capilano River.

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Don is a registered landscape architect with over 20 years experience in private consulting and municipal settings, with an emphasis on landscape architecture, parks and open space systems, and urban design. Don’s education in architecture and landscape architecture gives him a strong foundation for the integration of building design and landscape, of environment and social forces.

Don takes an ecological approach to landscape design, integrating natural processes into the built environment to produce beautiful, healthy places through elegant design solutions that respond to complex social demands. He works closely with clients, stakeholder groups, and the public, often in a multi-disciplinary environment, to arrive at creative solutions that satisfy comprehensive design criteria.

Don has developed exceptional computer and graphic skills to provide visualizations of planning and design scenarios, either in computer generated photo-realism, or more traditional hand drawn renderings to creatively convey design and planning scenarios. More than a communications tool, computer modeling and visualizations have become a tool for design exploration in every day practice. Don routinely uses digital terrain models to explore site design options, view impacts, slope analysis, road layouts, hydrological patterns, solar access and shadow analysis, and to test urban and landscape character. Don’s experience in soil conservation, preparation of construction drawings, cost analysis, construction documentation and contract administration brings practical, implementable solutions to the table, whether informing the broader planning process or guiding the implementation plan.

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David has been pioneering new areas of practice for more than 33 years. He was a founding partner in the national firm of the Landplan Collaborative, and by 1981 built its Vancouver practice into a staff of ten. He then moved to start a Vancouver Island practice, and as the first Landscape Architect north of Victoria, built Lanarc Consultants with partners Doug Backhouse and Don Crockett.

In 2008, David conceived the merger of Lanarc Consultants with Holland Barrs Planning Group to form HB Lanarc Consultants. David practices as both a land use planner and a landscape architect, and is also heavily involved in green infrastructure planning and design. Many projects have focused on water – ranging from watershed planning to water conservation strategies, and waterfront improvements to watercourse restoration.

David’s passion is to ‘make sustainable development standard practice’. His clients are proceeding rapidly towards that goal.

The BCLA recognized Dave for Exceptional Contribution to the BCSLA in 2008, for making his accrued knowledge and commitment accessible to others within the profession.

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Vince Verlaan is responsible for ensuring excellence and innovation in HB Lanarc’s public process, community engagement, and stakeholder consultation work. He is a Provisional Member of the Canadian Institute of Planners, and is a Principal of HB Lanarc.

Vince excels in developing and applying participatory tools and processes that greatly improve plans, projects, policies, and organizations. Building community capacity is a central goal.

With 20 years experience in diverse Canadian and international settings, he develops “strong engagement” initiatives linking different groups for their mutual benefit. Supporting effective collaboration, citizen involvement in governance, consensus-based decision making, action-learning, and positive change are his passions. Healthy communities, participatory governance, social inclusion, social capital, smart growth, and “genuine sustainability” are focus areas.

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